Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is facing a potential strike by the Culinary Union just a week before the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix. The trade union has set a date for the strike on Friday, November 15, but will meet for negotiations on Thursday to try and avoid it. The Culinary Union has called for the strike due to Virgin’s lack of wage increases in the first three years of a 5-year contract, which they deem unacceptable. This would be the union’s first strike in over 22 years.
Virgin Hotels has accused the Culinary Union of being inflexible and putting their staff at risk with their demands. They have criticized the union for refusing to budge on their economically unviable position and potentially negatively impacting all hotel team members. Despite this, Virgin has expressed their commitment to finding a fair resolution with the union to prevent the strike.
The management of Virgin Hotels, co-owned by the LiUNA Pension Fund of Eastern and Central Canada, has accused the union of engaging in “take it or leave it bargaining.” They also claim that the Culinary Union did not respond to their requests for counter proposals until November 8, further complicating the negotiation process. Virgin has had previous conflicts with the Culinary Union, with a two-day strike in May where they accused the union of not negotiating in good faith.
In response to the potential strike, the Culinary Union’s Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge has stated that Virgin staff deserve fair wage increases and are prepared to strike for it. The union has been warning of the strike risk and contract dispute at Virgin for months, alerting various stakeholders about the potential labor action. If negotiations fail, around 700 Virgin staff are expected to go on strike at 5:00 am on Friday, just before the Grand Prix weekend.
Overall, the tense situation between Virgin Hotels and the Culinary Union highlights the challenges of labor negotiations in the hospitality industry, especially in high-profile events like the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Both parties will need to come to a mutually beneficial agreement to avoid disruptions to the resort’s operations and potential negative impacts on staff and guests.